Expanding shower curtain

ABSTRACT

This invention is directed toward a shower curtain hanger, which can be produced economically and installed easily without assembly. The hanger is of a simple design that attaches rotably to the shower curtain rod with an elongated portion which pushes the shower curtain away from the user due to a weighted portion which hangs below the rod, on the tub side of the shower curtain. Because the device hangs directly from the shower curtain support rod it is simple to install, does not interfere with a user&#39;s ability to get into the shower and leave the tub quickly, and does not pose a danger should the user fall against the curtain or have to push his/her way out through the curtain. An alternate embodiment becomes the unified panel  80.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a curtain-supporting device, particularly for preventing a shower curtain from blowing inwardly against a person taking a shower and for associated hygienic reasons. Additionally, the supporting device holds the curtain in an outward displacement, effectively enlarging the showering area and providing more un-interfered room.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Use of a shower curtain support device minimizes the need for skin contact with a shower curtain. Particularly with shower curtains in hotels, the wish to avoid touching the shower curtains is not merely worrisome. It has been established that the “soap scum” accumulated on vinyl shower curtains over time contain significant microbial populations, including potential opportunistic pathogens. A study published by Kelley et al, in Applied Environmental Microbiology, July 2004, pp. 4187-4192 concludes that the potential opportunistic pathogens harboured in shower curtains can threaten patients in a hospital environment. More generally, any consistent exposure to sources of infection, such as shower curtains, constitutes a public health problem. While exposure can be minimized by regular cleaning or by changing shower curtains, that is often a matter out of the control of the shower user.

A number of shower curtain supports, control devices and adapters have been made which provide supporting frames or arms mounted to a shower rod to hold the curtain away from the shower. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,504 (Steiner), which teaches a set of frames that hold a curtain at its exterior and rely upon such things as Velcro to be attached to the curtain prior to use. The present invention does not require any modification of a standard shower curtain. And, as many people know, Velcro does not work well in moist environments. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,862 (Shippy), which teaches a device that protrudes into the enclosed area and does not function well when objects operate nearby. Shippy's device may work well to provide room very near the top of a shower curtain. But, it does not appear to be capable of resisting the curtain flapping caused by air movement into the enclosed space. Nor does it function as a curtain hanger. With these and similar arrangements, the devices are overly restrictive in their construction, and/or require additional customized equipment to function at all.

We have found that extending the vertical dimension of a device to the full desired shape of the shower area, from within the interior of the space enclosed by the curtain itself, while locating the center-of-mass of the curtain assembly so as to maximize inertial leverage, provides unexpected benefits in this particular field. Not only does it dramatically simplify the overall workings of the curtain assembly while being well-suited for any type of rod or basin, it also provides a way to form the curtain into an exact shape, during use. This benefit is further applied to a novel configuration which becomes essential a unitary item which may be placed over a typical curtain rod to function immediately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to restrain a shower curtain from swinging in upon a user of a shower. It is another object of the invention that its function is performed along essentially the entire vertical length of the shower curtain, without the need for additional rods, means of attachment, counterweights, or support. It is another object of the invention that such restraint can be accomplished using only four units of the invention. It is also an object of this invention that the device be quickly mounted on top of the shower curtain rod. It is further an object of this invention that a user of the invention be able to quickly and easy slide the shower curtain open and closed when entering and exiting the shower, without having to remove or adjust any device serving to deflect the shower curtain. It is an additional object of the invention that the device be inexpensively manufactured due to its simple design.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims may be regarded as the invention.

It should also be understood that, while the summary and description of the invention refer to showers for the sake of clarity, the invention itself captures other potential exploitations of its functionality, including but not limited to hospital bed curtains, window treatments, lamp shades, and any application which benefits by overcoming legitimate concerns regarding mobility, physical contact, fire, UV damage, ventilation, or safety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a close-up cut-away perspective view of the invention showing the upper end of the invention, as it rests on a portion of a typical shower curtain rod.

FIG. 2 is a close-up cut-away perspective view of the invention, which illustrates how a typical shower curtain may be fastened to the hanger.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the invention in its entirety, showing how the hanger is oriented while in use.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the invention showing why a number of hangers may be installed side-by-side, if one so chooses.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the invention in an alternate embodiment, showing an array of hangers sandwiched between two layers of laminate material.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the invention in an alternate embodiment, showing the simple and effective appearance of a typical shower area, with the invention installed.

ITEM REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   10 Shower Curtain Hanger -   20 Upper End -   30 Shower Curtain Rod -   40 Catch -   50 Shower Curtain -   60 Central Length -   70 Lower End -   80 Unified Panel

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention, shown in FIG. 1, is a shower curtain hanger 10, which, among other things, functions in place of a typical shower curtain ring. The upper end 20 of the hanger is curved in the form of a hook, and it mounts over a typical shower curtain rod 30. The upper end is wide enough that it comes into contact with the rod along a particular length, and not just at one point. The contact area of the hanger is a segment of the overall length of the rod, which keeps the hanger from twisting out of proper position. The hanger may be removed from the rod by lifting it off. The hanger, also shown in FIG. 2, has a small catch 40 near the upper end, to which the shower curtain 50 is fastened. Naturally, a number of these hangers are used to support the entire shower curtain, if one so chooses.

The hanger 10 itself, shown in FIG. 3, is vertically elongated and it acts as a rib to push a shower curtain outward, and expand the volume of an enclosed shower area. The central length 60 of the hanger, which is bowed outward from the shower area, serves to brace the shower curtain and keep it from intruding. Shown in FIG. 4, The lower end 70 of the hanger 10 extends almost to the floor, or to the bottom of a common tub. The lower end is weighted enough so that it hangs in a position that is vertical to the upper end, even when it supports a shower curtain. It is weighted also to provide inertia against swinging. The lower end also serves to press the shower curtain to the interior of a tub (though this is not necessary for the hanger to perform its intended function). The invention in this preferred embodiment (FIGS. 1-4) is shown as it is manufactured from a suitably dense plastic that is molded into shape.

An alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, is a semi-rigid, unified panel 80 that essentially combines the entire assembly of hangers 10 and curtain 50, to form a single drape with a row of hooks, which may be supported directly from a shower curtain rod. The overall center-of-mass of this single item is located near and along the bottom edge of the drape, and serves to keep the bottom edge essentially vertical to the curtain rod. In this unified panel 80 (also shown in FIG. 6), the molded ribs of the preferred embodiment are utilized. They are either sandwiched between two layers of suitably flexible material and bonded by heat and/or glue, or they are laid against to the inner side of an appropriate panel and adhered to it. In this embodiment, additional material may be adhered to the drape along its lower edge, to increase its inertial leverage.

In this alternate embodiment, the entire unified panel may be molded as a single piece of moldable material, or co-molded as an arrangement of the preferred embodiment in plurality, within or against one or more pieces of moldable material. 

1. A curtain hanger comprising i) an upper end that is curved in the form of a hook so as to rest upon a curtain rod or curved rail, and broadened so as to cover at once a segmental length of said rod or said rail, ii) a lower end that is weighted so as to hang in a position essentially vertical to said hook while in use, and so as to provide maximum inertial leverage against swinging, iii) a means for fastening a curtain proximally below said upper end, iv) and a slender body that is bowed so as to press said curtain away from an enclosed or covered area.
 2. A drape comprising i) a flexible panel, ii) a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid vertical ribs spaced horizontally within or against said panel, and bonded to said panel with an adhesive, or as a molded unit, iii) a plurality of hooks, or other means for slidable fastening, integrated with and spaced along the upper periphery of said panel, iv) a center-of-mass located distally to said hooks, or to said other means for slidable fastening, and located along the lower periphery of said panel, so as to provide maximum inertial leverage against swinging, wherein said drape can be supported from a curtain rod or curved rail, also wherein said ribs bow away from an area covered or enclosed within, and wherein said center-of-mass rests in a position that is essentially vertical to said hooks, or to said other means for slidable fastening. 